1. TECHNICAL FIELD.
This application is directed to the field of reducing fraud in electronic games having virtual currencies, and more particularly to reducing the effect of hacking, collusion and other abuses in software games having one or more virtual currencies.
2. RELATED ART.
The “freemium” (free +premium) software model allows for software developers to generate revenue on their software while each end user is able to choose how much, if any, money she spends on the software. Usually, freemium software, typically games, operates by implementing some form of in-game virtual currency. Virtual currency is an in-game item that has value in the game, but not in the real world. The virtual currency may have value in the game, for example, because it may be used to enhance the player's abilities, modify actions in the game, purchase other virtual items in the game such as appearance items or the like. In the case of games that involve betting or gambling, virtual currency may be wagered.
End users, or players, may earn virtual currency in a different ways. For example, a game may provide virtual currency to a player if she completes certain tasks or activities in the game, such as playing the game a certain number of times, achieving a particular score, and the like. The game also may issue virtual currency as a bonus gift to the player based on various pre-determined parameters. If the virtual currency is used as a bet or wager, the end user may earn additional currency if she wins the bet or wager. Finally, some games allow end users to purchase virtual currency using actual currency.
As with all things of value, virtual currency and the games that use them are subject to manipulation by nefarious individuals attempting to obtain large amounts of virtual currencies. This is particularly true in games in which virtual currency may be both bought with actual money and obtained for “free” through in-game activities and the like (also called “giveaways”). In some cases, users may hack the game to get more giveaways than the system would otherwise distribute to the user. Hacking the game involves modifying the source code or otherwise manipulating the game software to achieve a particular outcome. As a simple example, players may change the clock setting on a computer to trick the game into performing a time-based action.
In other cases, users may collude with other players or even themselves by consolidating giveaways from multiple accounts. For example, in online poker games, chip dumping is a common occurrence. In a typical chip dumping scenario, one or more players may create multiple accounts and collect a number of “free chips” through giveaways across the multiple accounts. Once a desired number of “free chips” have been collected, the accounts may play on a single table where a designated account will “win” bets against the other accounts to consolidate the “free chips.”
Accordingly, a need has long existed for improved systems and methods that solve the technical problems associated with hacking and otherwise fraudulently manipulating electronic games.